Money 143 million people's data breached in Equifax hack

04:16 11 september 2017

04:16 11 september 2017 Source:
Sky News

Equifax data breach may affect nearly half the US population

Hackers steal sensitive personal information on up to 143 million people from the credit reporting firm.Equifax, a prominent credit reporting firm, said Thursday that it was hacked from mid-May to July, with thieves stealing names, Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses from its customers.

Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. to confirm a person' s identity in the U. S . It eclipses a 2015 hack at health insurer Anthem Inc. that involved the Social Security numbers of about 80 million people .

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Credit agency Equifax has admitted that data from 143 million customers may have been compromised in a security breach earlier this year.

US, UK and Canadian residents are among those to have their details accessed through a website application vulnerability.

What to do if you were hit by the Equifax breach

An estimated 143 million U.S. consumers could be affected by a cybersecurity attack carried out against Equifax, one of the nation's three largest credit-reporting companies. Normally one of the first things victims are told to do is to go to a credit-reporting company and request their records to make sure that there are no unauthorized accounts or charges on their existing accounts.This time around, experts suggest checking with Equifax rivals, Experian and TransUnion.

Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. to confirm a person’ s identity in the U. S . It eclipses a 2015 hack at health insurer Anthem Inc. that involved the Social Security numbers of about 80 million people .

Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. Credit checks are even sometimes done by employers when deciding whom to hire for a job. Equifax discovered the hack July 29, but waited until Thursday to

The attack was discovered to have run from mid-May until 29 July, but the US company has taken 40 days to inform customers that their personal details were compromised.

Three senior executives at the company - which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange - sold shares worth almost $1.8m before the breach was publicly disclosed.

According to Bloomberg they had not been informed of the incident at this point.

The firm's shares dropped 12.4% in after-hours trading when the data breach was announced.

Names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and in some instances driving license numbers were stolen, as were credit card numbers for more than 200,000 people.

The company's chief executive, Richard Smith, said: "This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do.

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The Equifax data breach announced this week in which hackers stole personal data of 143 million Americans gives us insight into how many ways people can be screwed over by credit monitoring bureaus.

Equifax has suffered one of the largest data breaches in history that has left highly sensitive data of as many as 143 million people —that' s nearly half of the US Equifax Hack Exposes Personal Info of 143 Million US Consumers. Fappening 2017: More Celebrity Nude Photos Hacked and Leaked Online.

"I apologise to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes."

According to Twitter user @x0rz, a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability on Equifax's website was still working despite being reported in 2016.

XSS vulnerabilities are a common issue with web applications and can allow attackers to bypass access controls and view data they do not have authorisation to access.

Equifax said that it had reported the breach to US law enforcement, and would "work with UK and Canadian regulators to determine appropriate next steps".

The UK regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, fined TalkTalk a record £400,000 in 2016 after insufficient security allowed hackers to access information belonging to more than 156,000 customers.

Equifax did not state how many UK consumers were affected by the breach.

Data breach may have hit 400,000 UK people, says Equifax .
The data includes names, dates of birth, email addresses and telephone numbers, but does not contain postal addresses, passwords or financial information. We’re committed to updating consumers on steps taken to provide the support needed and address issues they face around this incident. (1/2)— Equifax Inc. (@Equifax) September 11, 2017Atlanta-based Equifax discovered the hack in July, but only informed consumers last week.In an effort to provide reassurance, the firm said it was unlikely that people would be hit by “identity takeover”.

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Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. to confirm a person' s identity in the U. S . It eclipses a 2015 hack at health insurer Anthem Inc. that involved the Social Security numbers of about 80 million people .

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Equifax discovered the hack July 29, but waited until Thursday to warn consumers. Any data breach threatens to tarnish a company' s reputation, but it is especially mortifying for Equifax , whose entire business revolves around providing a Equifax identity theft breach exposes 143 M people .

7, 2017 that 143 million Americans social security numbers and data were exposed in a breach that happened in July 2017. AshleyMadison.com has more than 37 million members and suffered a hack in August 2015. Equifax breach exposes 143 million people to identity theft.

Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. to confirm a person' s identity in the U. S . It eclipses a 2015 hack at health insurer Anthem Inc. that involved the Social Security numbers of about 80 million people .